Geography of Lubumbashi

Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, a city and the capital of Shaba province. It lies near the Zambian border, about 970 miles (1,560 km) southeast of Kinshasa, the national capital. Lubumbashi is the commercial and industrial center for a rich mining region producing copper, zinc, and cobalt. Lubumbashi also has large smelting, metal fabricating, and food processing industries. Railways link the city with Zambia, Angola, and the Congo River system. It is also served by an international airport. Lubumbashi was founded in 1910 as a mining camp called Elisabethville and grew with the copper industry. From 1960 until 1963 it was the capital of the secessionist state of Katanga. The name was changed in 1966.